Suitable Cantidate
by Zombie Raptor
Summary: Ed gets pulled in by the Armstrong family to meet Catherine.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Should be fairly obvious but Ed still has his alchemy...

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><p>Ed was walking around Central. He didn't have much to do since everything ended. Having gotten what he wanted he left the military — although it didn't stop him from popping by and bugging everyone — and he generally went around doing odd jobs for money. Mustang agreed to get him a decent place where he could live while the government paid for any rent. So far life was good, if a bit boring. He considered going out to the country a few times since his family was still out there, but generally decided to stay in Central to help out.<p>

Apart from some of the odd jobs, Mustang and Grumman also commissioned him for various things. Out of all the state alchemists Ed was considered the most gifted, but he was also the flexible in what he did. Besides most of the state alchemists that were still currently employed had trained to use their alchemy to fight. Ed and Al mostly just studied anything they could get their hands on.

Thinking about Mustang, Ed laughed a bit. They had gotten into a fight, but Ed condensed the water in the air, effectively making Mustang useless. Riza was her usual stern self, telling Ed that he shouldn't mess around with military officers. Everyone else of course just laughed. Seeing Mustang being useless was always funny.

Ed walked into the office and plopped down in a spare chair. The office was the same as when he started, Havoc would come in and help out every once and awhile, not that he particularly like paperwork, Breda, Fuery, and Falman were all working and screwing around.

"Hey Ed, what are you doing here" Breda asked not all that seriously. Ed came by pretty much everyday and got into arguments with Mustang, and screwed around with everyone else before leaving.

"Nothing much, I was just a bit tired" he replied, closing his eyes and leaning back in the chair.

Mustang, seeing Ed close his eyes grinned a bit. Just as he was about to burn Ed, although not badly, he felt his closes start to get heavier and stick to him.

"Not asleep yet" Ed said, eyes still closed.

Mustang groaned and stomped away causing everyone in the office to laugh. Even Riza had started laughing recently. With the biggest problem gone, she had lightened up a bit.

ssssssss

Ed woke up to something jerking out of his chair. After waking up enough, he looked down to see Armstrong holding him up.

"What's up" Ed asked casually. At this point he realized that Alex was going to be weird no matter what, and there was no chance of avoiding it. As long as he didn't get too involved in the Armstrong family, he'd be fine.

"You seem like a good candidate," Alex said looking at Ed "And you've gotten taller"

A tick mark appeared on Ed's forehead. Although he wasn't considered short anymore, whenever someone brought it up that he used to be it pissed him off.

"What's your point?" he asked in a bit of a snappy mood.

"Come with me" Alex told Ed as he dragged him away.

Ed sighed. He could get out of Armstrong's grip, but it wasn't really worth it.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the Armstrong Manor. Dragging Ed inside, Alex put him down on a chair.

"Hey what's going on" Ed asked as Alex left the room.

Ed looking around a bit confused. He was in a dining room, were they going to feed him, or just leave him here. Maybe they'd make a statue of him, Alex had done it before. Whatever they were doing it couldn't be normal and almost certainly it would be something that he didn't want to get involved in like a shirtless hug from Alex.

Ed looked over at the door as it opened and cringed. Olivier Armstrong was the person who opened the door. Alex was the one who was weirdly close and affectionate, and Olivier seemed to make up for that by being the exact opposite.

"I would of thought about someone bigger," Olivier started, much to Ed's annoyance "But I can definitely see why you picked him"

Olivier had learned more about Ed and Al after the conflict ended. She still considered him a bit soft, but started to respect him more now. Not to mention that everyone he had met and traveled with, apart from a few, defended how strong and exceptional he was. Olivier agreed, he was strong, even if he didn't command respect. Although from a certain view, that could be a testament to his strength as well.

"I approve of him" Olivier said. Alex sighed in relief. "Why didn't you just pick him first?" Olivier demanded. "Just go get her" she added before Alex could respond.

"Can I ask, what I'm doing here?" Ed asked.

"You are the fifth person that Alex has brought here, and you are by far the most acceptable, so we are choosing you for her"

Ed started to get nervous. They were choosing him for her. Who was her, was it Olivier's rabid bear, or some other weird thing that was in the Armstrong family. Before he could think any farther into it, Alex came through the doors. Following him was a relatively small girl, not that that was saying much.

Slightly confused Ed looked at Olivier "Is that her?"

Olivier nodded "That's our little sister Catherine"

"He's a bit small isn't he" Catherine stated.

A tick mark appeared on Ed's forehead. He wasn't short anymore. It was too late to say he was never short since he had admitted it to himself in laboratory five, and to Winry and Al, but that was then and now he was normal sized.

"You stay here" Olivier told Ed as she got up "Alex, Catherine, let's talk outside"

Ed sat in the dining room wondering what was happening. This was why he didn't like to involve himself too deeply with the Armstrong family. There little sister may look strangely small and cute, but assuming she was anything like the Armstrong's he met then she would almost certainly be scary.

After a few minutes the three siblings came back into the room. Catherine smiled brightly at Ed.

"I was rather surprised to hear everything about you, but you definitely fit all the criteria, and I gladly accept" Catherine told him.

Catherine went up to Ed and gave him a hug causing them both to blush. As she left the room, Ed hadn't moved. He still had no idea what was going on. The way she phrased it made it sound like he was being hired. Was he supposed to be a bodyguard. Why couldn't any of the Armstrong's be her bodyguard, they were all a lot more scary than he was.

"Show up here tomorrow, and we'll get everything sorted out" Olivier told Ed in her usual commanding tone.

Ed found himself out in front of the house, still confused.


	2. Chapter 2

Ed woke up to his phone ringing. Slowly getting up, he picked up the phone.

"Hello" he answered groggily

"Hey Ed, it's Winry" came a slightly annoyed voice.

Ed started to panic. In was so early in the morning and Winry had already found something to get mad at him for. He figured since Al had moved in with her and Pinako that her attention would move more towards him.

"I didn't break my automail, and I've been keeping it oiled, what could you be mad at me for so early?" Ed asked groaning.

"Ed it's twelve-thirty"

"I know"

Ed could hear Winry faceplam through the phone.

"You didn't tell me you were getting married"

"I'm not getting married, who told you that?" Ed asked curiously.

There wasn't anyone that he particularly wanted to marry at this point. There wasn't even anyone that he really considered dating. The guys in the office tried setting him up a few times, and it wasn't that the girls were bad or anything, he just wasn't particularly interested. Although they had set him up with a guy at one point saying that he had denied every girl they set him up with so he must be gay.

"Major Armstrong called me" Winry replied, sounding a little more pissed. Why would Ed not want her to know that he was getting married. It's not like they weren't still friends.

Winry heard Ed choking over the phone.

"Hey Ed, are you alright?"

"Um, yeah. Can I call you back, I just remembered that I was supposed to meet Armstrong and Olivier"

"Yeah, just don't forget"

"Okay, I'll call you tonight, bye" Ed said hanging up the phone.

Thinking back to when he was at the Armstrong's mansion he went through what happened. They couldn't possibly have picked him to marry that girl. He didn't even know her. They didn't even give him an option to object. They didn't even let him know that they were using him as a candidate for marriage.

Leaving the room, Ed sat down in the kitchen and knocked his head on the kitchen table. He couldn't get married. He was too young. He still had stuff to do, places to go before settling down.

Getting dressed quickly, he ran out onto the street and started towards Central Command. Getting there in a few minutes he ran into the office. After searching for a few seconds he saw Riza.

"Hawkeye, I need your help"

Hawkeye nodded and walked towards him, although she already had an idea on what he wanted help with.

"If you want me to come to the wedding Armstrong already told everyone, and I'm not helping you get out of it."

Ed's face fell "How did you already know what I was going to ask?"

"Ed, there are worse fates than being married to a young pretty girl."

"Well sure when you put it like that it sounds great, but they didn't even ask me, I didn't even know until today"

"So what you're saying is that you would say yes to the marriage if they asked you"

Riza waited an answer, a bit amused at Ed's face. She could understand why he didn't want to get married yet, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world.

"Ed, just go with it. She's a nice girl and I'm sure you'll get along with her"

"Well maybe I might get along with her, but what about everyone else in the family?"

Riza shrugged.

Ed stomped away. He had honestly expected someone to help him. Ed stopped as an idea came to him. Running over to the phone, he pulled a small book that held various things in it, and flipped to the page with the ingredients of the human body.

Picking up the phone he dialed the number. He had put the Rose's number there since this page reminded him of the conversation with her.

"Rose" Ed exclaimed as he picked up the phone.

"Oh Ed, I haven't heard from you in a while. You sound excited"

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you something"

"Oh don't worry I was already invited to the wedding. I'm so excited for you"

Ed hung up the phone and wilted to the ground. Everyone was against him. He had no allies left in the world, and was doomed to the fate of being married into such a weird family.

"Yeah, we already called everyone. Even the emperor of Xing is coming" Havoc called out while laughing.

Ed groaned. Ling had become emperor in the last couple years. Even he was coming to the wedding.

"Straighten up Fullmetal, you should be glad. Besides how could you not like Catherine?" Mustang asked.

"I don't work here anymore" Ed said glaring at Mustang from the ground.

"Well actually, Olivier requested that I hire you again as a state alchemist since you should have a respectable job, otherwise you would shame Catherine or something like that"

"So if I don't take this job, they won't want me to marry her anymore?"

"No, you're still considered respectable, it would just be better if you had a job"

Ed sighed. He might as well and go to the Armstrong mansion. Try to get out of it there. He could only imagine how many people would be disappointed if he did manage to get out of it. Walking outside, he hailed a cab.

After reaching the mansion, Ed knocked on the door.

"Oh Edward, you're here, that's good" Alex said as he opened the door.

"You know Armstrong, you didn't even ask me if I wanted to do this, you didn't even tell me that you were planning on marrying me off" Ed commented, too tired to argue at this point.

Alex started sweating a bit "Ed please you have to say yes. Olivier and my parents assumed that I asked you and their standards are so strict, I don't think I can find anyone else anytime soon"

"Why would it have to be soon?" Ed asked, actually curious now.

"Well Catherine in twenty-three now and she's the youngest. Our parents don't actually think any of us are going to get married, and they have incredibly high standards"

Ed started laughing "Man I never thought I would be picked because someone had high standards."

A small figure appeared behind Alex "Alex can I talk to him?"

Looking back he nodded. Catherine took Ed by the hand and led him to a small room. Ed was now extremely uncomfortable as he was sitting with a girl with a large smile on her face that he was apparently engaged to, but didn't want to marry.

"I'll understand if you want to say no, this wasn't my idea to begin with" she told Ed.

Ed blinked a few times before regaining some composure "What?"

"Well this is all my parents idea, but it would still nice if you said yes. For the first few years we don't have to actually do anything together. I mean we're expected to have a child at some point, but" Catherine stopped, her face beet red.

Ed was still pretty much a stranger, and she was still nervous talking to strangers, but it was even worse since they were supposed to get married.

"I get it, we're allowed to do what we want for the first few years of marriage and get to know each other, but after a certain time we're expected to act like a married couple"

Catherine nodded.

After a few seconds of silence, they started talking again, getting to know each other. After about an hour, Ed had to say that he did like her. Sighing, he figured that if he said yes it would probably be better for everyone.

"So when is the wedding" he asked.

Catherine smiled brightly "Exactly one week from now"

"I guess I can live with this, I mean you're already growing on me. You seem better than Alex or Olivier"

Catherine giggled, she loved both of them, but she had to agree that both of them were a bit extreme.


End file.
